A COCKEREL was battered to death by 'evil' thieves who stole two chickens and seven rabbits from a Hanworth allotment.
The animals, which were kept mainly as pets, were taken from the allotment in Church Road overnight on Sunday.
Keepers of the plots went to visit their animals on Monday morning to find the chickens and rabbits missing, their hutches and cages ripped to pieces, garden furniture strewn everywhere and the cockerel dead on the ground.
The locks had been broken and doors smashed in. The cockerel and two silkie chickens that were stolen belonged to Sharon Tallent, of Dickinson Road, Hanworth, along with two friends.
She said: "It just came as such a shock. Everyone's very upset. It's no different to having had a pet killed or stolen. The fact it's mainly pensioners or little children whose animals they were makes it even worse. I've got no idea who would do this. It's just plain evil. I can't understand the mentality of these people."
Police believe the suspects broke into the allotments at some point between 10.30pm on Sunday and 6.15am on Monday.
Anyone with information is asked to call Hounslow CID on 0208 247 6160 or Crimestoppers anonymously on 0800 555 111.
